Geo-Fencing of Media Content Using Distribution Areas in a Database

ABSTRACT

In some embodiments, a method receives a distribution area identifier for media content. A distribution area is defined by one or more geographic primitives and associated with a distribution area identifier. A geographic primitive is defined by one or more location identifiers. The method determines whether the one or more geographic primitives of the media content is applicable to a geographic primitive that is determined from a location identifier associated with a request.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application and, pursuant to 35U.S.C. § 120, is entitled to and claims the benefit of earlier filedapplication U.S. application Ser. No. 16/990,715 filed Aug. 11, 2020,which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/627,172 filedJun. 19, 2017, the content of all of which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

Media content, especially live media content, has very specificgeographical areas where the content can be distributed and viewed. Toensure that the media content is properly distributed, geo-fencingtechniques may be used that restrict media content to certaingeo-location values (e.g., geographical areas) that can differ on aper-program basis.

In one example, for every piece of media content, the geo-fencingtechniques associate a geography type and a set of valid values wherethe media content could be distributed. For a piece of media content,there may be a large set of values, such as upwards of 40,000 values,for the geo-location restrictions. This means that the video deliveryservice may have to create 40,000+ rows in a database for every piece ofmedia content the video delivery service offers. Because the videodelivery service may receive new pieces of media content almost everyhour, the process of generating that many rows in the database maybecome a large job and also use a large amount of storage. Further,given the large amount of values, it is difficult to know when the setof available geo-location values changes for a piece of media content.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a simplified system for performing geo-fencing accordingto one embodiment.

FIG. 2 shows an example of geographic primitives and distribution areasaccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 depicts an example of creating content bundles according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 4 depicts a more detailed example of a system for selecting whichcontent is available to users according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 5A-5C show an overview of the selection process for distributionareas according to one embodiment.

FIG. 6 depicts a simplified flowchart of a method for determiningwhether media content is available according to one embodiment.

FIG. 7 depicts a simplified flowchart of a method for using distributionareas to determine available content according to one embodiment.

FIG. 8 depicts a video streaming system in communication with multipleclient devices via one or more communication networks according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 9 depicts a diagrammatic view of an apparatus for viewing videocontent and advertisements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Described herein are techniques for a geo-fencing system. In thefollowing description, for purposes of explanation, numerous examplesand specific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of particular embodiments. Particular embodiments asdefined by the claims may include some or all of the features in theseexamples alone or in combination with other features described below,and may further include modifications and equivalents of the featuresand concepts described herein.

Particular embodiments define a set of geographic primitives. Thegeographic primitives represent namable areas that can be defined by aspecific geography. Then, a set of distribution areas is generated wherea distribution area is defined by one or more of the geographicprimitives. A unique identifier is assigned to each distribution area.Media content, such as media programs, are then assigned to one of thedistribution areas. In one embodiment, a discreet piece of media contentis assigned to a single distribution area. Then, when the video deliveryservice needs to determine which media content is available to a user,the video delivery service determines where a client device and a userare located. Then, the video delivery service maps the location to aspecific set of geographic primitives. Once the set of geographicprimitives is determined, the video delivery service performs a reverselookup query to a database to identify all the distribution areas thatcontain these primitives. This provides a list of all distribution areasfor the user based on the user's location. Once the distribution areasfor a user are determined, the video delivery service can check whethera piece of media content is available by determining if the distributionarea identifier for the media content is in the list of distributionareas for the user. If there is a match, then the piece of media contentis available to that user.

The above process significantly reduces the number of values that needsto be published for each piece of media content. This in turn reducesthe amount of storage needed. Also, the process simplifies geographiclookups to comparing one value (e.g., the distribution area associatedwith a piece of media content) among a small set of the distributionareas. This reduces the complexity of the query needed and reduces theprocessing time of the query.

Overview

FIG. 1 depicts a simplified system 100 for performing geo-fencingaccording to one embodiment. Geo-fencing is the enforcement ofgeo-location restrictions on media content. System 100 includes a videodelivery system 102 and client devices 104. Video delivery system 102may be operated by a video delivery service that provides media contentto client devices 104. The content may be viewed on-demand or live, andmay include different programs, such as television shows, sportingevents, movies, and other content. Media content may be broken up intospecific programs, which are a unit or piece of media content (e.g., anepisode of a television show). When the term “media content” is used,this may mean a discreet piece of media content.

Client devices 104 may be user devices that can request and play mediacontent using a media player. Also, client devices 104 may display aninterface that lists media content that is available, such as atelevision guide or recommended media content. Different users may useclient devices 104 in different locations. For example, a first user maybe using a living room device in a user's home. The living room devicemay not typically move locations. Also, a user may be using a mobiledevice that may be used in various locations where mobile devices maychange their location often. Client devices 104 may be associated with acurrent geographic location. For example, a geographic location may bean Internet protocol (IP) address that identifies a location whereclient device 104 is located. Other location information may also beused, such as global positioning system (GPS) information.

Video delivery system 102 includes a geo-mapping service 106 that canperform geo-fencing for media content. For example, geo-mapping service106 can determine which media content is available to client devices 104based on the client's current location.

A geo-location database (DB) 108 stores distribution areas in databasetables. A distribution area may be a composition of one or moregeographic primitives, which represent namable areas that are defined bya specific geography. The primitives include countries, ZIP codes, timezones, states, cities, and other proprietary definitions, such asNielsen Direct Marketing Areas (DMAs). Once the geographic primitivesare defined, a distribution area can be created with one or moregeographic primitives. Each distribution area in geo-location database108 is assigned a unique identifier.

A content processor 110 receives media content from content providersthat are available for distribution to client devices 104. Contentprocessor 110 also receives geographic restrictions for the content. Forexample, some media content may only be distributed to a certain timezone, such as a live sporting event that may only be distributed in alocal area in which the sporting event is played.

Content processors 110 generate content bundles in a content database(DB) 112 that describe the media content. The content bundles include adistribution area identifier that associates the content with adistribution area. In one embodiment, each content bundle is associatedwith only a single distribution area.

When geo-mapping service 106 needs to determine which media content isavailable to a client device 104, geo-mapping service 106 determines thephysical location of client device 104. Then, geo-mapping service 106maps the physical location to a set of geographic primitives. Forexample, the physical location may be mapped to a ZIP code. That zipcode may then be mapped to a regional area, such as the East coast and,also, the country of the United States. Then, geo-mapping service 106performs a reverse lookup query to geo-location database 108 to identifyall distribution areas that include the primitives. The lookup finds alist of all distribution areas for the current location of client device104. Once all the distribution areas for client device 104 aredetermined, geo-mapping service 106 can check which media content isavailable by determining if a distribution area identifier for the mediacontent is in the list of distribution areas for the user. If mediacontent includes a matching distribution area identifier, then thatmedia content is made available for that user.

In one embodiment, geo-mapping service 106 can perform a query tocontent database 112 to select which content bundles have eligibledistribution area identifiers in the list of distribution areas. Theabove process significantly reduces the number of values that need to bepublished for each piece of media content. For example, only onedistribution area identifier is published instead of a list of all theZIP codes, countries, etc. in which the media content may be available.Also, the use of distribution areas simplifies the geographic lookups bycomparing one value to a small set of the list of distribution areas forclient device 104. This is simpler than querying every piece of mediacontent with multiple arguments, such as a geography type and a set ofvalid values where it is distributed. Also, previously, a large set ofrows needed to be queried in the database, such as 40,000 rows for eachpiece of media content. Particular embodiments reduce the number of rowsthat need to be queried, which improves the processing time of videodelivery system 102 to determine which media content is available to auser. In a real-time environment, such as when client devices 104 arenavigating a user interface, and video delivery system 102 needs todynamically determine which media content to display on the userinterface, a quick processing time for queries is needed.

Geo-Location Database

FIG. 2 shows an example of geographic primitives and distribution areasaccording to one embodiment. Geographic primitives represent namableareas that can be defined as a specific geography. The geographicprimitives can be defined using specific areas on a map or can bedefined as a collection of other geographic primitives. For example, atime zone may be defined as a collection of ZIP codes. The geographicprimitives can have their own area re-defined without altering the nameof the area with which it is associated. Possible geographic primitivesare shown at 202 and can be defined for geo-location database 108. Eachgeographic primitive may be associated with possible values. Forexample, values for ZIP codes may be every ZIP code possible in theUnited States. Similarly, the states may be every state in the UnitedStates.

Once the geographic primitives are defined with possible values,distribution areas may be defined using the geographic primitives ingeo-location database 108. The distribution area is a logical collectionof namable areas, not the specific geography that each primitiverepresents. For example, the distribution area is a composition of oneor more geographic primitives. The concept of a distribution area allowsvideo delivery system 102 to have an immutable definition of an areawhile allowing for minor variations in its physical geography. Forexample, if video delivery system 102 creates a distribution area thatencompasses the Eastern and Central time zones, video delivery system102 can alter which physical area each time zone contains, but the factthat media content is being distributed to the Eastern and Central timezones remain the same. For example, the Eastern time zone may change toinclude different locations, the definition of the Eastern time zone inthe video delivery service does not need to change. Also, a county mayhave additional zip codes added or removed, or its geographicalcoordinates changed.

A distribution area (DA) creator 208 in geo-mapping service 106 mayreceive a definition for a distribution area and select values forgeographic primitives 202 from table 204. For example, if a distributionarea for the Seattle DMA is requested, distribution area creator 208retrieves a value for the Seattle DMA and can store it in a table 210for the new distribution area. The value for the Seattle DMA may be aproprietary definition of data for the Seattle area. In anotherembodiment, a collection of zip codes for a region may be stored intable 210 for a regional distribution area.

Distribution area creator 208 may assign a unique identifier for acreated distribution area that can be used to reference the newdistribution area. For example, distribution area creator 208 assignsthe identifier “1” creating a new distribution area #1 that includes theSeattle DMA. In one embodiment, this definition may use a single row ina database to define the distribution area identifier, primitive type,and primitive value. It is possible another data structure may be usedto define the distribution area in terms of other primitives, such as aDMA may be defined by a number of zip codes in another data structure.In another embodiment, the distribution area may be defined in a singledata structure.

Additionally, distribution area creator 208 may create a seconddistribution area using the country value from table 204 of “USA”. Thiscountry value designates any area in the United States. Distributionarea creator 208 assigns this distribution area the identifier “2”.

Distribution area creator 208 then creates a distribution area for anumber of specific ZIP codes. Distribution area creator 208 may retrievethe ZIP code values from table 204 and store them in table 210 with adistribution area that is identified by “3”. In this case, distributionarea #3 may include four ZIP codes. This definition may use four rows intable 210 for the four zip codes.

Once distribution area creator 208 creates a distribution area, thecollection of geographic primitives is immutable. That is, thegeographic primitives that define the created distribution area cannotchange. For example, if the distribution area is defined by the SeattleDMA, the primitive of “Seattle DMA” cannot be changed for thatprimitive. However, the primitives themselves may be redefined, such asby including a new zip code that would be included in the Seattle DMA.If video delivery system 102 needs to define a new distribution areawith new primitives, distribution area creator 208 creates a newcollection of geographic primitives and a new geographic area with aunique identifier. Even though the definition of a distribution area isimmutable, the location that is encompassed by the distribution area maychange. For example, the areas included in a time zone may change, butthe time zone distribution area does not change.

Distribution area creator 208 may store the values in rows for table210. The number of rows that are needed depends on the number ofgeographic primitives included in the distribution area. Storage issaved using the distribution areas because a specific distribution areaonly needs to be saved once. Conventionally, each piece of media contenthad to have a list of geographic identifiers saved even if the list wasthe same for another piece of content.

Content Database

Media content that is available can be associated with a singledistribution area identifier. The media content may be described using acontent bundle that is created for the media content. FIG. 3 depicts anexample of creating content bundles according to one embodiment. Acontent processor 110 may create content bundles for media content. Thecontent bundle may include metadata that describes characteristics ofthe media content. One part of the content bundle may include adistribution area identifier that uniquely identifies the distributionarea. In one embodiment, one content bundle may be associated with asingle distribution area identifier. This means that this content canonly be distributed to the single distribution area associated with thedistribution area identifier. In another embodiment, a content bundlemay be associated with multiple distribution area identifiers if thecontent is available in different ways. For example, a piece of contentmay be available in a distribution area #1 for users with a specificentitlement and the same content may be available in a distribution area#2 for users with an additional or different entitlement.

Content processor 110 may receive information for a piece of mediacontent, such as a television show, and create a content bundle in atable 304 in content database 112. The information in table 304 for thecontent bundle may include the content identifier and also adistribution area identifier. For example, a content bundle 306-1 is fora first piece of media content with the content identifier #1. Also, thedistribution area identifier of #1 has is assigned to this contentbundle. Content processor 110 may select the distribution areaidentifier based on a source stream associated with the media content orother characteristics of the media content.

At 306-2, a content bundle with the identifier #2 is assigned thedistribution area of DA #5. This means that this piece of media contentmay be distributed in distribution area #5. This process continues asother content bundles are created and assigned distribution areas suchas content bundle #N is assigned to distribution area #X.

Accordingly, content processor 110 only assigns a single distributionarea to a content bundle. This only requires one row in table 304.However, if multiple ZIP codes were associated with the piece of mediacontent, then multiple rows would have been required for the ZIP codesfor the media content without utilizing a distribution area. Using thedistribution areas saves a large amount of storage space because the ZIPcodes required for a distribution area are only stored once for thedistribution area and not repeated for each piece of content for eachcontent bundle stored in table 304. Rather, only a single distributionarea identifier is stored for the media content. Once the distributionareas are defined and pieces of media content are associated withdistribution area identifiers, the distribution areas can be used todetermine which media content is available to users using client devices104.

Geo-Mapping Service

FIG. 4 depicts a more detailed example of system 100 for selecting whichcontent is available to users according to one embodiment. Geo-mappingservice 106 includes a location service 401, a primitive mapping service402, a query processor 404, and a content selector 406. Location service401 receives information where client device 104 is located. Thelocation information may be received in a request from client device104, such as a request for displaying a portion of a user interface orrequesting playing of a piece of media content. This request may bereceived while the user is using the user interface in real-time.Location service 401 may also query client device 104 for the locationinformation or receive the location information from client device 104in other ways.

Location service 401 identifies a physical location of the user from thelocation information received from client device 104. For example,location service 401 may use the Internet protocol (IP) address forclient device 104 to determine a physical location for client device104. Additionally, device location services, such as global positioningsystem (GPS) coordinates, may also be used to determine the physicallocation for client device 104. The physical location may be determinedin different formats, such as longitude/latitude coordinates, GPScoordinates, ZIP codes, or other formats that identify physicallocation.

Primitive mapping service 402 then maps the physical location of clientdevice 104 to one or more geographic primitives. Primitive mappingservice 402 may perform the mapping using geo-spatial datasets or otherservices that can map physical locations to the geographic primitives. Ageo-spatial dataset includes data that has a geographic component to it.This means that the records in a dataset have locational informationtied to them such as geographic data in the form of coordinates,address, city, or ZIP code. In one example, a set of GPS coordinates canbe mapped to a ZIP code, a country, a DMA, and other geographicprimitives using mappings in a geo-spatial dataset. Also, primitivemapping service 402 may take the resulting geographic primitives fromthe mapping and also find additional primitives that contain theprimitive. For example, if a ZIP code is determined, then primitivemapping service 402 may determine the state and country that includesthe ZIP code.

Once the set of geographic primitives are determined, a query processor404 can query geo-location database 108 to identify all distributionareas that include the geographic primitives. In one embodiment, queryprocessor 404 performs a reverse lookup query, which is a query thatuses arguments for items that may be included in rows for thedistribution areas rather than searching for a distribution area itselfby the distribution area ID. In one embodiment, query processor 404sends a query that includes arguments of the values for the geographicprimitives. Geo-location database 108 returns any distribution area IDsthat were associated with rows that included at least one of the valuesfor the geographic primitives.

From the list of distribution areas, a content selector 406 candetermine a list of distribution areas for the physical location ofclient device 104 and the user. For example, content selector 406executes a query that includes the distribution area identifiers oncontent database 112. This may query for any rows that include thedistribution area ID for a content bundle. Content database 112 returnsany content bundles that are identified with the distribution area IDs.As discussed above, content bundles are associated with only a singledistribution ID and there is no ambiguity that the content could bedistributed to another distribution area.

Content selector 406 can then use the content bundles to identify mediacontent that is available to client device 104. For example, if a pageof the user interface is being generated for client device 104, the userinterface may be populated with icons for the media content available inthat user's location. In one embodiment, all of the media content may bedisplayed in the user interface. In another embodiment, a user may benavigating to different portions of the user interface, such as totelevision shows, movies, or further granularities, such as comedies.Content selector 406 may select a portion of the media content todisplay on the user interface, such as only content in the genre ofcomedy, that are available in that user's location.

In another embodiment, the request may have been for a specific piece ofmedia content to play, such as a television show episode or movie.Content selector 406 may then determine if that media content includes adistribution area ID that is associated with the physical location ofclient device 104 before allowing client device 104 to play that mediacontent.

Content selector 406 may cache the list of distribution areas for clientdevice 104 and the user in a cache memory 408. The list of distributionareas may be cached for a long period of time because it may only changewhen the user changes location, which may not be frequent especially ifa living room device is being used. Using cache memory 408, contentselector 406 may not need to query content database 112 for a list ofcontent bundles if the content bundles in content database 112 have notchanged since the last query. However, a query to content database 112may need to be performed if any information in content database 112 haschanged, such as the distribution area identifier for an existing pieceof media content has changed or a new piece of media content has beenadded. However, content selector 406 may not need to query every singlerow of content database 112, but rather only the changed rows of contentdatabase 112. This would reduce the processing time of the query andcomputing resources needed to process the query.

Also, the list of distribution areas in cache memory 408 may be usedacross multiple users. For example, if a second user is using a secondclient device 104 that is in a similar location of the first user(either the exact same physical location or a physical location that iswithin a geographical area encompassed by the primitive, such as ZIPcode), then content selector 406 may not need to query content database112 again if the content has not changed. Additionally, query processor404 may not need to query geo-location database 108 to find the list ofdistribution areas either if the same geographic primitives are beingused. However, if some distribution areas in geo-location database 108have changed, then query processor 404 may need to perform a new query.The new query may be performed on only the changed rows in the table ingeo-location database 108 or may be performed on the entire table.

Examples

FIGS. 5A-5C show an overview of the selection process for distributionareas according to one embodiment. A first user at 502-1 may be in a ZIPcode “98101”. Query processor 404 can then determine distribution areasfrom that geographic primitive.

At 504-1-504-9, different distribution areas are shown with each havinga unique identifier. For example, distribution areas of #123, #234,#678, #1234, #567, #456, #789, #890, and #901 are shown.

Each of the distribution areas may be associated with a channel. Achannel may be a specific channel offered by video delivery system 102,and may be associated with a network. Various content for a channel maybe associated with the same distribution area ID. For example, at 506-1,a Seattle affiliate channel may be associated with distribution area#123 at 504-1. Distribution area #123 is associated with a primitive ofSeattle DMA at 508-1. This is the Seattle DMA geographic primitive.Similarly, at 506-2 and 506-3, a Los Angeles affiliate channel and aColumbus affiliate channel are associated with distribution areas #234and #678, respectively. The geographic primitives are also DMAs, such asthe Los Angeles DMA (LA DMA) at 508-2 and the Columbus DMA at 508-3.

A national video on-demand (VOD) channel may also be provided at 506-4.The national video on-demand may allow users to request videos on-demandat any time. In this case, distribution area #1234 at 504-4 isassociated with the geographic primitive of the country “USA” at 508-4.In this case, the geographic restriction for on-demand content is thecountry of the United States.

Regional networks may also be associated with distribution areas. Forexample, the Los Angeles regional sports network (RSN) channel, theSeattle regional sports network channel, and the Columbus regionalsports network channel are shown at 506-5, 506-6, and 506-7,respectively. These are regional sports channels that may be onlyprovided to certain regions. For example, a distribution area #567 mayspecify ZIP codes for the Los Angeles region that apply at 508-5.Similarly, distribution area #456 for the Seattle region includesdifferent ZIP codes for the Seattle region at 508-6 and distributionarea #789 for the Columbus region includes different ZIP codes for theColumbus region at 508-7.

Regional channels may also be defined by distribution areas. Theregional channels may provide distribution of media content for a largerregion than a city, such as an East Coast feed (East coast fd.) channeland a West Coast feed (West coast fd.) channel. In this case, some mediacontent may be designated for the East Coast and some media content maybe designated for the West Coast. The East Coast feed channel is shownat 506-8 and the West Coast feed channel is shown at 506-9.

The regions may be defined by a list of zip codes, but other primitivesto define the regions may be used. A distribution area #890 at 504-8includes a first set of ZIP codes at 508-8, and a distribution area #901at 504-9 includes a different set of ZIP codes at 508-9 for the WestCoast. It will be noted that different additional ZIP codes may beincluded in the above distribution areas.

Each geographic primitive may be stored in a row of a table. Forexample, the distribution area #901 may include 8 rows that store theZIP codes for the distribution area. It is possible that ZIP codes maybe duplicated for different distribution areas. However, the ZIP codesdo not need to be repeatedly stored for every single piece of mediacontent.

At 502-1, a user is using a client device 104-1 that is determined to bea geographic primitive of “98101”. Query processor 404 then performs areverse lookup query to geo-location database 108 with an argument of“98101”. This would return the distribution areas that include the ZIPcode 98101. For example, distribution areas #123, #1234, #456, and #901are returned. Although the ZIP code 98101 is not shown in distributionarea #123 and distribution area #1234, the geographic primitive forthose respective distribution areas would resolve to those distributionareas using the ZIP code 98101. In another embodiment, alatitude/longitude query against a geospatial database may be used todetermine the distribution areas that include the geographic primitive.

Referring to FIG. 5B, at 502-2, a user #2 using a client device 104-2 isdetermined to be in the physical location associated with geographicprimitive “91001”. Query processor 404 performs a query using that ZIPcode as an argument in the query. This returns distribution areas #234,#1234, #567, and #901. The ZIP code 91001 is in the Los Angeles regionand thus applies to the LA regional sports channel in the West Coastfeed in addition to the LA affiliate channel and national video ondemand. The distribution areas are shown at 510-2 that match thegeographic primitive of 91001.

Referring to FIG. 5C, a user #3 at 502-3 is using a client device 104-3and is determined to be in a physical location associated with thegeographic primitive of the ZIP code 43210. This may be in the Columbusarea and query processor 404 processes a query with the argument of theZIP code 43210 with the geographic primitive of 43210. This returns thedistribution areas of #678, #1234, #789, and #890. These distributionareas are shown at 510-3 and are generally associated with distributionareas in the Columbus area.

Method Flows

The following will describe the overall process flow to determine mediacontent that is available to a user based on the user's location. First,available distribution areas are determined. FIG. 6 depicts a simplifiedflowchart 600 of a method for determining whether media content isavailable according to one embodiment. At 602, geo-mapping service 106identifies where a user is physically located. For example, locationinformation from client device 104 may be received.

At 604, geo-mapping service 106 maps the physical location to a set ofgeographic primitives. The geographic primitives may include ZIP codesor other granularities of the geographic primitives.

At 606, geo-mapping service 106 performs a reverse lookup query toidentify a list of distribution areas that contain the geographicprimitives. The reverse lookup query is sent to geo-location database108.

At 608, geo-mapping service 106 receives a list of distribution areasfrom geo-location database 108. At 610, geo-mapping service 106 cachesthe list of distribution areas for later use.

Then, the distribution areas are used to determine available mediacontent. FIG. 7 depicts a simplified flowchart 700 of a method for usingdistribution areas to determine available content according to oneembodiment. At 702, geo-mapping service 106 receives a first requestfrom a user using client device 104 for content associated with aportion of a user interface. For example, the user may have navigated toa portion of the user interface, such as a comedy section of the userinterface. The user interface may want to display the comedies availableto that user. For example, only some comedies may be available at theuser's current location.

Assuming the distribution area check has already been performed in FIG.6, geo-mapping service 106 already has the list of distribution areascached. This request may have been performed previously or may beperformed in real-time when the request is received. At 704, geo-mappingservice 106 selects all media content that includes the distributionarea identifier. For example, content processor 110 may query contentdatabase 112 to retrieve every piece of media content that includes thedistribution identifier. Then, at 706, geo-mapping service 106 mayfilter the list of media content that is returned based on the userinterface portion that is currently being displayed. For example,geo-mapping service 106 may determine from the content metadata whichmedia content are comedies. Video delivery system 102 may then returnthese comedies to client devices 104 for displaying in the userinterface. This displays all comedies the user could possibly access.

At 708, geo-mapping service 106 receives a request to play the mediacontent displayed on the user interface. Geo-mapping service 106 maythen perform a second check to determine if the user can play theselected media content. The second check may be necessary because it ispossible that media content displayed in the user interface may not beable to be played by the user for various reasons, such as the user mayhave changed location in between requests, or the media content may havebeen displayed for promotional reasons but may not be able to be playedat this time by the user. The second check also ensures that no mistakesare made in allowing a user to play content that the user is not allowedto play. For example, the playing of content that is not allowed is amore serious problem for content providers than the display of the mediacontent in a user interface.

At 710, geo-mapping service 106 determines if a second check of theavailable distribution areas for the current location of client device104 for the user is needed. If so, at 712, geo-mapping service 106compares the list of distribution areas to the distribution area of therequested media content. If the distribution area of the media contentis included in the list of distribution areas, then geo-mapping service106 indicates to video delivery system 102 that client device 104 canplay the media content. At 714, video delivery system 102 may then causethe playing of the media content to client device 104. If a second checkis not needed, then at 714, the media content is played immediately.

If the distribution area identifier of the media content is not includedin the list of distribution areas, then at 716 geo-mapping service 106outputs an indication that client device 104 cannot play this content.Accordingly, geo-mapping service 106 performs two different checks. Bothchecks reduce the number of queries that are needed. The first check todetermine the available media content generates a small subset ofdistribution areas for the request. Then, that small subset can be usedto query the content. Also, when a request for a specific piece of mediacontent is received, the distribution area identifier for that piece ofmedia content only needs to be compared to a small set of distributionareas for the client device 104 instead of the entire geo-locationdatabase. Accordingly, particular embodiments save storage and alsoquery processing time.

Additionally, the structure of geo-location database 108 and contentdatabase 112 simplifies the ability to compare the distribution betweenpieces of media content and determine if the distribution has changed.For example, the video delivery service can determine that thedistribution has changed for a piece of media content just bydetermining that the distribution area identifier has changed. Prior tothis, a user would have to analyze a long list of ZIP codes or othergeographic primitives to determine if distribution for that piece ofmedia content changed. In this case, only a single distribution areaidentifier needs to be reviewed. Further, since the definition of adistribution area is immutable, the query responses can be cached andused for other users.

System

Features and aspects as disclosed herein may be implemented inconjunction with a video streaming system 800 in communication withmultiple client devices via one or more communication networks as shownin FIG. 8. Aspects of the video streaming system 800 are describedmerely to provide an example of an application for enabling distributionand delivery of content prepared according to the present disclosure. Itshould be appreciated that the present technology is not limited tostreaming video applications, and may be adapted for other applicationsand delivery mechanisms.

In one embodiment, a media program provider may include a library ofmedia programs. For example, the media programs may be aggregated andprovided through a site (e.g., Website), application, or browser. A usercan access the media program provider's site or application and requestmedia programs. The user may be limited to requesting only mediaprograms offered by the media program provider.

In system 800, video data may be obtained from one or more sources forexample, from a video source 810, for use as input to a video contentserver 802. The input video data may comprise raw or edited frame-basedvideo data in any suitable digital format, for example, Moving PicturesExperts Group (MPEG)-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, VC-1, H.264/Advanced VideoCoding (AVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), or other format. Inan alternative, a video may be provided in a non-digital format andconverted to digital format using a scanner and/or transcoder. The inputvideo data may comprise video clips or programs of various types, forexample, television episodes, motion pictures, and other contentproduced as primary content of interest to consumers. The video data mayalso include audio or only audio may be used.

The video streaming system 800 may include one or more computer serversor modules 802, 804, and/or 807 distributed over one or more computers.Each server 802, 804, 807 may include, or may be operatively coupled to,one or more data stores 809, for example databases, indexes, files, orother data structures. A video content server 802 may access a datastore (not shown) of various video segments. The video content server802 may serve the video segments as directed by a user interfacecontroller communicating with a client device. As used herein, a videosegment refers to a definite portion of frame-based video data, such asmay be used in a streaming video session to view a television episode,motion picture, recorded live performance, or other video content.

In some embodiments, a video advertising server 804 may access a datastore of relatively short videos (e.g., 10 second, 30 second, or 60second video advertisements) configured as advertising for a particularadvertiser or message. The advertising may be provided for an advertiserin exchange for payment of some kind, or may comprise a promotionalmessage for the system 800, a public service message, or some otherinformation. The video advertising server 804 may serve the videoadvertising segments as directed by a user interface controller (notshown).

The video streaming system 800 also may include geo-mapping service 106.

The video streaming system 800 may further include an integration andstreaming component 807 that integrates video content and videoadvertising into a streaming video segment. For example, streamingcomponent 807 may be a content server or streaming media server. Acontroller (not shown) may determine the selection or configuration ofadvertising in the streaming video based on any suitable algorithm orprocess. The video streaming system 800 may include other modules orpieces not depicted in FIG. 8, for example administrative servers,commerce servers, network infrastructure, advertising selection engines,and so forth.

The video streaming system 800 may connect to a data communicationnetwork 812. A data communication network 812 may comprise a local areanetwork (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), for example, the Internet, atelephone network, a wireless cellular telecommunications network (WCS)814, or some combination of these or similar networks.

One or more client devices 820 may be in communication with the videostreaming system 800, via the data communication network 812 and/orother network 814. Such client devices may include, for example, one ormore laptop computers 820-1, desktop computers 820-2, “smart” mobilephones 820-3, tablet devices 820-4, network-enabled televisions 820-5,or combinations thereof, via a router 818 for a LAN, via a base station817 for a wireless telephony network 814, or via some other connection.In operation, such client devices 820 may send and receive data orinstructions to the system 800, in response to user input received fromuser input devices or other input. In response, the system 800 may servevideo segments and metadata from the data store 809 responsive toselection of media programs to the client devices 820. Client devices820 may output the video content from the streaming video segment in amedia player using a display screen, projector, or other video outputdevice, and receive user input for interacting with the video content.

Distribution of audio-video data may be implemented from streamingcomponent 807 to remote client devices over computer networks,telecommunications networks, and combinations of such networks, usingvarious methods, for example streaming. In streaming, a content serverstreams audio-video data continuously to a media player componentoperating at least partly on the client device, which may play theaudio-video data concurrently with receiving the streaming data from theserver. Although streaming is discussed, other methods of delivery maybe used. The media player component may initiate play of the video dataimmediately after receiving an initial portion of the data from thecontent provider. Traditional streaming techniques use a single providerdelivering a stream of data to a set of end users. High bandwidths andprocessing power may be required to deliver a single stream to a largeaudience, and the required bandwidth of the provider may increase as thenumber of end users increases.

Streaming media can be delivered on-demand or live. Streaming enablesimmediate playback at any point within the file. End-users may skipthrough the media file to start playback or change playback to any pointin the media file. Hence, the end-user does not need to wait for thefile to progressively download. Typically, streaming media is deliveredfrom a few dedicated servers having high bandwidth capabilities via aspecialized device that accepts requests for video files, and withinformation about the format, bandwidth and structure of those files,delivers just the amount of data necessary to play the video, at therate needed to play it. Streaming media servers may also account for thetransmission bandwidth and capabilities of the media player on thedestination client. Streaming component 807 may communicate with clientdevice 820 using control messages and data messages to adjust tochanging network conditions as the video is played. These controlmessages can include commands for enabling control functions such asfast forward, fast reverse, pausing, or seeking to a particular part ofthe file at the client.

Since streaming component 807 transmits video data only as needed and atthe rate that is needed, precise control over the number of streamsserved can be maintained. The viewer will not be able to view high datarate videos over a lower data rate transmission medium. However,streaming media servers (1) provide users random access to the videofile, (2) allow monitoring of who is viewing what video programs and howlong they are watched, (3) use transmission bandwidth more efficiently,since only the amount of data required to support the viewing experienceis transmitted, and (4) the video file is not stored in the viewer'scomputer, but discarded by the media player, thus allowing more controlover the content.

Streaming component 807 may use TCP-based protocols, such as HTTP andReal Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP). Streaming component 807 can alsodeliver live webcasts and can multicast, which allows more than oneclient to tune into a single stream, thus saving bandwidth. Streamingmedia players may not rely on buffering the whole video to providerandom access to any point in the media program. Instead, this isaccomplished through the use of control messages transmitted from themedia player to the streaming media server. Another protocol used forstreaming is hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) live streaming (HLS) orDynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH). The HLS or DASH protocoldelivers video over HTTP via a playlist of small segments that are madeavailable in a variety of bitrates typically from one or more contentdelivery networks (CDNs). This allows a media player to switch bothbitrates and content sources on a segment-by-segment basis. Theswitching helps compensate for network bandwidth variances and alsoinfrastructure failures that may occur during playback of the video.

The delivery of video content by streaming may be accomplished under avariety of models. In one model, the user pays for the viewing of videoprograms, for example, using a fee for access to the library of mediaprograms or a portion of restricted media programs, or using apay-per-view service. In another model widely adopted by broadcasttelevision shortly after its inception, sponsors pay for thepresentation of the media program in exchange for the right to presentadvertisements during or adjacent to the presentation of the program. Insome models, advertisements are inserted at predetermined times in avideo program, which times may be referred to as “ad slots” or “adbreaks.” With streaming video, the media player may be configured sothat the client device cannot play the video without also playingpredetermined advertisements during the designated ad slots.

Referring to FIG. 9, a diagrammatic view of an apparatus 900 for viewingvideo content and advertisements is illustrated. In selectedembodiments, the apparatus 900 may include a processor (CPU) 902operatively coupled to a processor memory 904, which holds binary-codedfunctional modules for execution by the processor 902. Such functionalmodules may include an operating system 906 for handling systemfunctions such as input/output and memory access, a browser 908 todisplay web pages, and media player 910 for playing video. The memory904 may hold additional modules not shown in FIG. 9, for example modulesfor performing other operations described elsewhere herein.

A bus 914 or other communication component may support communication ofinformation within the apparatus 900. The processor 902 may be aspecialized or dedicated microprocessor configured to perform particulartasks in accordance with the features and aspects disclosed herein byexecuting machine-readable software code defining the particular tasks.Processor memory 904 (e.g., random access memory (RAM) or other dynamicstorage device) may be connected to the bus 914 or directly to theprocessor 902, and store information and instructions to be executed bya processor 902. The memory 904 may also store temporary variables orother intermediate information during execution of such instructions.

A computer-readable medium (CRM) in a storage device 924 may beconnected to the bus 914 and store static information and instructionsfor the processor 902; for example, the storage device (CRM) 924 maystore the modules 906, 908, and 910 when the apparatus 900 is poweredoff, from which the modules may be loaded into the processor memory 904when the apparatus 900 is powered up. The storage device 924 may includea non-transitory computer-readable storage medium holding information,instructions, or some combination thereof, for example instructions thatwhen executed by the processor 902, cause the apparatus 900 to beconfigured to perform one or more operations of a method as describedherein.

A communication interface 916 may also be connected to the bus 914. Thecommunication interface 916 may provide or support two-way datacommunication between the apparatus 900 and one or more externaldevices, e.g., the streaming system 800, optionally via a router/modem926 and a wired or wireless connection. In the alternative, or inaddition, the apparatus 900 may include a transceiver 918 connected toan antenna 929, through which the apparatus 900 may communicatewirelessly with a base station for a wireless communication system orwith the router/modem 926. In the alternative, the apparatus 900 maycommunicate with a video streaming system 800 via a local area network,virtual private network, or other network. In another alternative, theapparatus 900 may be incorporated as a module or component of the system800 and communicate with other components via the bus 914 or by someother modality.

The apparatus 900 may be connected (e.g., via the bus 914 and graphicsprocessing piece 920) to a display piece 928. A display 928 may includeany suitable configuration for displaying information to an operator ofthe apparatus 900. For example, a display 928 may include or utilize aliquid crystal display (LCD), touchscreen LCD (e.g., capacitivedisplay), light emitting diode (LED) display, projector, or otherdisplay device to present information to a user of the apparatus 900 ina visual display.

One or more input devices 930 (e.g., an alphanumeric keyboard,microphone, keypad, remote controller, game controller, camera or cameraarray) may be connected to the bus 914 via a user input port 922 tocommunicate information and commands to the apparatus 900. In selectedembodiments, an input device 930 may provide or support control over thepositioning of a cursor. Such a cursor control device, also called apointing device, may be configured as a mouse, a trackball, a track pad,touch screen, cursor direction keys or other device for receiving ortracking physical movement and translating the movement into electricalsignals indicating cursor movement. The cursor control device may beincorporated into the display piece 928, for example using a touchsensitive screen. A cursor control device may communicate directioninformation and command selections to the processor 902 and controlcursor movement on the display 928. A cursor control device may have twoor more degrees of freedom, for example allowing the device to specifycursor positions in a plane or three-dimensional space.

Particular embodiments may be implemented in a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium for use by or in connection with theinstruction execution system, apparatus, system, or machine. Thecomputer-readable storage medium contains instructions for controlling acomputer system to perform a method described by particular embodiments.The computer system may include one or more computing devices. Theinstructions, when executed by one or more computer processors, may beconfigured to perform that which is described in particular embodiments.

As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow,“a”, “an”, and “the” includes plural references unless the contextclearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein andthroughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and“on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

The above description illustrates various embodiments along withexamples of how aspects of particular embodiments may be implemented.The above examples and embodiments should not be deemed to be the onlyembodiments, and are presented to illustrate the flexibility andadvantages of particular embodiments as defined by the following claims.Based on the above disclosure and the following claims, otherarrangements, embodiments, implementations and equivalents may beemployed without departing from the scope hereof as defined by theclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, by a computingdevice, a distribution area identifier for media content, wherein adistribution area is defined by one or more geographic primitives andassociated with a distribution area identifier, and wherein a geographicprimitive is defined by one or more location identifiers; anddetermining, by the computing device, whether the one or more geographicprimitives of the media content is applicable to a geographic primitivethat is determined from a location identifier associated with a request.2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving the request froma client device, the client device being associated with the locationidentifier; performing a query to retrieve a set of distribution areaidentifiers that include the geographic primitive associated with thelocation identifier; determining that the distribution area identifierfor the media content is associated with the set of distribution areaidentifiers; and providing information for media content to the clientdevice.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the query reviews entriesassociated with a plurality of distribution areas to select the set ofdistribution areas that is associated the geographic primitive.
 4. Themethod of claim 2, further comprising: receiving a second request toplay the media content from the client device, re-determining a newlocation identifier for the client device; re-performing the query toretrieve a new set of distribution area identifiers that include ageographic primitive associated with the new location identifier; andallowing the client device to play the media content if the distributionarea identifier for the media content is found in the new set ofdistribution area identifiers.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein: thedistribution area identifier is stored with an entry for the one or moregeographic primitives.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or moregeographic primitives is stored in one or more rows in a data structure.7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: storing the distributionarea identifier, wherein the distribution area identifier is defined asimmutable in that the one or more geographic primitives cannot bechanged.
 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: changing adefinition of a geographic primitive in the one or more geographicprimitives for the distribution area identifier that is defined asimmutable.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein changing the definition ofthe geographic primitive comprises: changing a geographic areaencompassed by the geographic primitive.
 10. The method of claim 1,wherein: the distribution area identifier is included in a contentbundle for the media content, and the content bundle includes thedistribution area identifier and information for the media content. 11.The method of claim 10, wherein receiving the distribution areaidentifier comprises: receiving the content bundle for the mediacontent.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein the content bundle isassociated with a single distribution area identifier.
 13. The method ofclaim 10, wherein: the geographic primitive is stored in a first datastructure, the distribution area identifier is stored in a second datastructure, and the content bundle is stored in a third data structure.14. The method of claim 13, wherein: the third data structure storescontent bundles for different media content, wherein each content bundleis associated with a distribution area identifier.
 15. The method ofclaim 1, wherein receiving the distribution area identifier for mediacontent comprises: receiving a publishing of the distribution areaidentifier for the media content.
 16. A non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium containing instructions, that when executed, control acomputer system to be operable for: receiving a distribution areaidentifier for media content, wherein a distribution area is defined byone or more geographic primitives and associated with a distributionarea identifier, and wherein a geographic primitive is defined by one ormore location identifiers; and determining whether the one or moregeographic primitives of the media content is applicable to a geographicprimitive that is determined from a location identifier associated witha request.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 16, further operable for: receiving the request from a clientdevice, the client device being associated with the location identifier;performing a query to retrieve a set of distribution area identifiersthat include the geographic primitive associated with the locationidentifier; determining that the distribution area identifier for themedia content is associated with the set of distribution areaidentifiers; and providing information for media content to the clientdevice.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim16, further operable for: storing the distribution area identifier,wherein the distribution area identifier is defined as immutable in thatthe one or more geographic primitives cannot be changed.
 19. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein:the distribution area identifier is included in a content bundle for themedia content, and the content bundle includes the distribution areaidentifier and information for the media content.
 20. An apparatuscomprising: one or more computer processors; and a computer-readablestorage medium comprising instructions for controlling the one or morecomputer processors to be operable for: receiving a distribution areaidentifier for media content, wherein a distribution area is defined byone or more geographic primitives and associated with a distributionarea identifier, and wherein a geographic primitive is defined by one ormore location identifiers; and determining whether the one or moregeographic primitives of the media content is applicable to a geographicprimitive that is determined from a location identifier associated witha request.